Product Description

Yin Yang is an ancient Chinese philosophy, that two complementary forces exist in the universe. Many natural dualities—e.g. dark/light; female/male; low/high; cold/hot—are examples of yin yang.

One is not better than the other. Rather, both are necessary and a balance of both is optimal. In the card game Yin Yang, the player who best succeeds in balancing these two forces will be the winner.

This trick-taking card game, that plays equally well with 3, 4 or 5 people, challenges players to try and score “0” points. Each player, in turn, places a card from their hand onto the table. The high card receives positive points (black Yin chips) and the low card receives negative points (white Yang chips). When a player has collected both black Yin and white Yang chips, he returns them in pairs—one black and one white—until he has only one color, or ideally, “0” chips left. The challenge—take only the tricks you need to achieve balance “0”, otherwise avoid winning tricks.

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Product Reviews

When it comes to economy in game design, Reiner Knizia is one of the undisputed
masters. His games frequently feature simple rules matched with careful balance, thus
achieving an elegance in design that is usually built on a foundation of mathematical
sequences, patterns or numbers.

That's also very much the case with Yin Yang, a filler type card game that has
appeared previously under a different name (first Drahtseilakt in 1999, and then
later Relationship Tightrope in 2004), but has recently had a makeover with a new
theme and look, and even some small changes. I'm not a huge fan of Taoist philosophy,
but I have to admit that it matches the gameplay nicely here, and the yin yang
concept of balance fits the game well enough. Players start with a hand of 10 cards,
each playing a card in turn, with both the lowest and highest card played in a trick
getting white and black yin-yang chips. The white and black chips cancel each other
out, and the idea is to try to end up with as few as possible after playing all your
cards.

The result is a nice filler game with gameplay that reminds me of games like 6 Nimmt
in feel, by requiring thoughtful choices from a starting hand of cards, yet without
becoming more serious than it deserves. If you're looking for a quick and clever card
filler that is easy to learn, plays quickly, and has interesting gameplay yet
somewhat of a traditional flavour, this is a great choice to introduce to your
friends and family.

NOTE: Portions of this review have been adapted from my previous review of
Drahtseilakt.

The "Mr. Retread" of designers has struck again. Reiner Knizia is a master of
having his designs republished with different names over and over again. Often,
other than the name, the games remain unchanged with each additional version.
Sometimes, however, very minor changes are made, but the pedigree of the new game
remains unmistakable.

Yin Yang is the latest in this long line of reinvented games. Its grandfather is
Drahtseilakt, which was published by ASS back in 1999. This was followed by the re-
themed Relationship Tightrope from UberPlay. Now, the game has once again been
republished by Gryphon Games as Yin Yang (Fifty Fifty in certain countries), albeit
in a more basic and watered-down version. I'm not sure why the game had to be
simplified, as the original version was easy enough to learn and play.

The game consists of sixty cards and an assortment of Yin and Yang tokens, all
packed in a nice, compact tin. Fifty cards – numbered 1 – 50 – comprise the deck,
while the remaining ten are the score cards. Score cards depict both Yin (white)
and Yang (black) numbers, ranging from 1 – 7.
Players are each dealt nine cards, and the top card of the scoring deck is
revealed.

In clockwise order, each player plays one card face-up to the trick. The player
playing the highest card to the "trick" receives the indicated number of Yang
tokens, while the player playing the lowest valued card receives the indicated
number of Yin tokens. The idea, however, is not to collect tokens. Rather, the
goal is to finish the hand without any tokens, thereby achieving perfect balance.

When a player takes tokens of one type, he can collect opposite tokens to cancel
those previously taken. The player has struck a balance. For example, if Rhonda
takes six Yin tokens in one trick and subsequently takes four Yang tokens, she
returns four each, leaving her with two Yin tokens. The idea is to either avoid
collecting tokens throughout the entire hand – something very difficult – or collect
tokens in the precise combination to completely cancel each other (achieve perfect
balance) – or at least as close as possible. The advice that applies is the fewer
the tokens in one's possession at game's end, the better.

At the conclusion of a hand, players total the number of tokens they have in their
possession, with the lowest score being best. If a player manages to collect zero
tokens, all other players must add two points to their score. A number of hands
equal to the number of players are held, and the player with the lowest cumulative
score being victorious.

The game forces players to cleverly manage their cards so as to avoid taking tokens.
Sometimes, however, a player will want to take tokens, especially if he had
previously collected some of the opposite color. There are only a few combination of
Yin / Yang numbers in the score deck, it is difficult to cancel all previously
collected tokens by winning just one trick. Usually, you have to win two or more
tricks to cancel or minimize your collected tokens. Plus, one of the ten scoring
cards will not surface during a hand, so there is no guaranty that you can hold out
for that one perfect scoring card. So while it is important to remember which cards
have already been revealed in a round, there is no guaranty the card you are seeking
will surface.

The game can be insidious as you attempt to avoid collecting tokens and force your
opponents to take them. Or, as mentioned, many times you find yourself trying to
collect tokens to offset previously collected ones. This is sometimes easy, but only
IF no one else is attempting to collect those same tokens. Further, as each hand is
played, you have fewer and fewer cards in your hand, so your choices become
increasingly limited. Hand management is critical.

The player playing the highest card in a trick leads the next trick. Playing first
and second is the least desirable positions to be in, as it allows everyone else to
attempt to play between these two values if they wish to avoid taking any of the
tokens that round, or go over or under if they are attempting to grab them. So,
although you might need to grab those Yang tokens to offset a previous acquisition,
you also must consider the dangers of being forced to lead the following trick.
Careful hand management is essential to play well and score low!

Throughout the game, you have those tough little decisions that have to be made. The
natural inclination is to attempt to avoid taking any rods for as long as possible.
However, this may not always be the best strategy, especially if you have a hand
with an abundance of high and/or low cards. You really have to adapt your strategies
to the cards you are dealt.

The main change in Yin Yang versus its predecessors is the scoring cards. The
combination is different, and the cards that cancel one side of a scoring card have
been eliminated. I honestly prefer the original, as it requires more planning and
seems to have more unexpected occurrences that force players to adapt their plans
and scramble to achieve balance. Nothing present in the original would make it too
difficult for casual gamers or family members to learn and play competently. I'm
surprised the game was simplified even further in this new version.

There are two variants included in the rules. One deals each player ten cards, but
nine tricks are still conducted. This gives players a bit more flexibility in
planning their strategy for the hand. The second variant adds a rule back from the
original game. If a player manages to take zero tokens in a hand, he can cancel a
score from a previous round. This gives players the ability to eliminate a hefty
score from a previous round, perhaps bringing them back into contention. I
especially enjoy this last variant and would recommend it be included in future
plays.

I have always enjoyed Drahtseilakt, and was happy to see it be published again when
the Relationship Tightrope version was released. While I'm disappointed that the
decision was made to simplify the system in this latest version, I am happy that it
is once again available. The game isn't difficult to learn or play, but it does
present the players with some interesting hand management decisions. It works
wonderfully as a filler for experienced gamers, and is a great choice to play with
families and friends.

Other Resources for Yin Yang:

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